Space shuttle's hop to Florida is delayed

The return of the space shuttle Columbia to its Florida launch site was delayed Tuesday by a lag in preparing the ship for the ferry flight on the back of a 747 jumbo jet.

Crewmen who cared for the shuttle after its Nov. 14 landing had hoped to have the Columbia ready to go Tuesday, but the jet and the shuttle weren't expected to be ready to fly possibly until today (Nov. 25). Workmen were delayed in mounting the spacecraft to the fuselage of the 747 and making circuit connections between the two craft.

The shuttle will be readied at the Kennedy Space Center for its third test flight in mid-March.